Everyone likes to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, so check out these perfect titles.
At We The Players, we all love a dose of high-octane action like anyone else. However, the stories that video games can tell and the journeys they can take us on often go well beyond punching someone in the face. Adventure games take things at a bit of a slower pace than most modern blockbusters, but when it comes to talking about some of the greatest storylines, the funniest humour, and the deepest narratives in the most compelling worlds, you will often find them here.
As such, let’s take a look at 25 of the adventure games we at We The Players would recommend that you play. They’re going to include point-and-clicks, games that fit the title “walking simulator,” and a couple more action-adventure type games just to spice it up.
This 2017 release for Windows, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive is an engrossing and gorgeous adventure game that’s known, most of all, for the incredible story that it tells. It is very much a case of “we can’t say too much because anything can be a spoiler.” If you go in blind, you will have a unique and special journey.
Without going into too much detail, we can say that it involves going through a selection of strange and wonderful tales as the last remaining Finch, going through the history of their family in a uniquely interactive way. This game plays with the format of adventure games in a way like few others, changing how you play the game on the regular, all against the backdrop of the gorgeous old Finch house.
Now that this episodic game has finally published its final chapter in 2020, you’re about to see a lot of lists putting it very high on their year-end Game of the Year discussions. Developed and published by the team at Cardboard Computer, it was later picked up by Annapurna Interactive, expanding its release from Linux, Windows, and OS X to Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
This point-and-click adventure takes you through a world with a striking, stark visual style quite unlike anything else we’ve played in the genre, with Oxenfree being the most notable comparison. It’s a fantastic and thought-provoking story-driven predominantly by text, but full of the kind of symbolic imagery you’re likely to see in a David Lynch movie.
Few series warm the hearts of point-and-click lovers quite like the delightfully funny and irreverent sequel to the LucasArts classic (back when they were known for producing some of the very best in the genre.) It’s one of the most influential games in the history of point and clicks, notorious for taking “point and click logic” (i.e., not very logical solutions at all) to its comedic heights. However, this sequel is also one of the first games to introduce puzzle difficulty level options.
While playing the original Monkey Island isn’t necessary, it is a bonus given just how much this game expands on the lore and world of the first. The characters remain charming whether it’s your first or second encounter with them, however. Now, the special edition has been ported over to iOS, Microsoft Windows, PS3, Xbox 360, and Xbox One, so if you missed out, it’s the perfect time to grab this 1991 classic.
Developed by Campo Santo and published in a partnership with Panic, this exceedingly lovely and lonely game was released in February 2016 and is now playable on Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The striking visuals, full of colour and shadow, ensure that the stage of the Wyoming woodlands is never boring to look at. This is good because this person adventure takes place entirely within them.
It’s not just gorgeous, however. There’s a deep mystery to Firewatch, one that starts with something as simple as spotting something odd from your fire lookout tower. Perhaps the highlight of this game, however, is the conversations you have with Delilah, your only contact with the outside world, accessible through a handheld radio that gives an incredibly deep sense of connection between the two characters while also highlighting just how alone you are out there.
Okay, so this might seem like a bit of a cheat as, quite unlike the titles we’ve named so far, this is very clearly within the wheelhouse of action-adventure, rather than pure adventure. However, this 2019 Nintendo smash hit, available on Wii U and Switch, was a contender for Game of the Year and had a lot of elements of classic adventures thrown in there.
You won’t be surprised to hear that you play as the ever-silent Link, on a mission to rescue Princess Zelda. However, outside of those facts, this is a very bold new take on the Zelda formula. First, there’s a truly huge open world to explore and you’re encouraged to explore it thanks to a lack of linearity. It’s not a straight shot from dungeon A to dungeon B. You can go wherever you want as soon as you get off the tutorial plateau. Aside from snappier combat than ever, the game is also helped by a larger range of quests than we’ve ever seen in the series before, too. Few games have been this easy to get lost in since Skyrim.
Another LucasArt Classic that has, thankfully, been remastered for modern audiences. Day of the Tentacle is a sequel to the lesser-known Maniac Mansion that dials up the cartoonish humour and antics by about ten degrees. This point-and-click story, about a cast of varied, awkward humans taking on a sentient tentacle, remains as funny and weirdly engrossing in 2020 as it was in 1993. The 2016 remaster is on PS4, Vita, Windows, and OS X, too.
The game is also known as one of the classics that helped Tim Schafer gain the reputation for excellence he enjoys today, as he directed it alongside Dave Grossman, who later became known for some of Telltale Games’ best works. Aside from the humour and memorable antagonist, it’s best known for its out-there visuals and the time-travel element that dominates a lot of the plot. Unlike more serious games that tend to get lost in the mechanics of how time travel is supposed to work, Day of the Tentacle makes sure that the absurdity of the premise and the conflict with Purple Tentacle is always at the forefront. If you’re a point-and-click fan, this should not be missing from your collection. Simple as that.
Believe us, we know we’re at risk of starting a flame war by recommending this over Season Two of Telltale’s flagship series. However, while Season Two might contain some of the best episodes in the whole series, we feel it’s Season One that establishes the characters and setting best of all and builds the foundation of the relationships that carry the whole thing forward.
It’s those relationships that are the heart of this 2012 episodic adventure game that’s now available on more platforms than you can shake a stick at, including not just Windows, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, but also Kindle Fire HDX and even the ill-fated Ouya. It’s a spin-off story set in the universe of the well known comic book series of the same name, with fantastic characters and the impactful decision making that became a staple of Telltale Games as a whole. The age of their Telltale Tool engine very much shows in this one, but the cel-shaded art style does tend to make it a lot more palatable. Certainly enough to get familiar with the cast, including the iconic Clementine.
Again, a bit of a twist in the list, as this is more action-adventure than straight-up adventure. A third person mix of cinematic action and horror-thriller-mystery, Alan Wake was originally released on Xbox 360 and Windows in 2010. If you’re a fan of Control or the original Max Payne, then you need to check this out, as all three were developed by the team at Remedy Entertainment. In fact, there are a few easter eggs in Control that harken back to this action-adventure masterpiece.
Alan Wake takes you through a very well-fleshed out environment, telling a deeply psychological story about thriller novelist, Alan Wake, exploring the town of Bright Falls to find out what happened to his missing wife. From there, it takes a distinctly BBC/HBO/Showtime prestige drama feel, splitting the game into episodes, each of which ends in the kind of cliff-hanger that just keeps you wanting to play more. Aside from being a fantastic thriller action-adventure in its own right, it’s a great game for those who love a bit of thriller fiction, pulling in allusions from Hitchcock to Kubrick to King to Lynch. It never loses sight of its own story and remains engrossing all the way, however.
You’re going to see us sticking close to the LucasArt family of adventure game developers for a lot of this list. While Tim Schafer and Dave Grossman were creating a sequel for it, Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert was working on the first two Secret of Monkey Island games. Like his veteran adventure game comrades, he too has enjoyed a renaissance with the 2017 release of Thimbleweed Park. This point and click by Terrible Toybox, the studio headed by Gilbert and Gary Winnick, was released after a successful crowdfunding campaign for Windows, iOS, macOS, PS4, Linux, Xbox One, Android, and Nintendo Switch.
Aside from the trademark humour Gilbert is known best for, this point and click has a genuinely intriguing storyline that involves a mystery spanning across a rather off-kilter town. It starts with a dead body and gets weirder from there, including a haunted hotel, secret agents, ghosts, swearing clowns, and more.
The works of David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream are divisive, to say the least. Their stories are a little off-the-wall and they don’t always handle the mature themes they tackle as elegantly as some of the other games mentioned here. However, their 2010 release on PS3, PS4, and Windows might be the most competent and engrossing tale of all.
First of all, few games have a butterfly effect system as well-executed as Heavy Rain. This third-person interactive drama involves switching between four protagonists, each looking to solve a series of murders and kidnappings. The game switches from third-person investigations to quick-time events a little clunkily, but the mystery of who the Origami Killer is and how your characters evolve in their harrowing journey to track them down keeps it engaging all of the ways.
This classic point-and-click, originally developed by Westwood Studio in 1997, strikes an odd comparison with Heavy Rain. Both are mystery plots that involve solving a case, but Blade Runner leans so heavily on the evidence work that it’s truly impressive.
This point and click game also features some pretty revolutionary technology for the time, including the use of “real-time 3D” which involves 3D character rendering and a game world that moves in real-time, as opposed to waiting for the player to make their move. That might not sound too unlike most adventure games today, but it’s worth looking at some footage to see what we mean. The story largely follows the same beats as the classic cyberpunk movie, but with some great world-building and expansion to help it along. It’s worth looking at the game, now available on GOG, but we’re also keeping an eye on the remaster which is supposed to be released for PS 4, Switch, and Xbox One sometime in 2020.
Another classic cyberpunk point and click adventure, this Revolution Software developed gem is perhaps best known for the incredibly stark look at the future. Originally released on MS-DOS and Amiga, it has since been brought over to classic game fans at GOG, not to mention a Remastered edition that was released on iOS in 2009.
The name implies a pretty dark story, and that’s essentially what you get. However, this cult classic, developed by the team who also headed a lot of the Broken Sword games, is also well known for a wicked sense of humour. Set in a dystopian future on a ravaged Earth, Beneath a Steel Sky is all about exploring a corrupt society with power-hungry corporations, an Orwellian government, and a paranoid and persecuted populace. If you love the claustrophobia and darkness of a good dystopia, this is where you’ll find it.
Now for something completely different. Away from the dark and foreboding world of cyberpunk to a detective story about a dog in a trenchcoat and his small, quite frankly psychopathic rabbit partner. This 2D point and click adventure is another classic from the team at LucasArts and is the introduction to two of their most beloved characters of all time.
The game is a top to bottom pastiche, homage, and parody of all things noir, balancing genre humour with sheer absurdism that’s hard not to crack a smile at. It’s also quite impressive in its scale, taking players all across the states in a critically acclaimed adventure. Aside from the 1993 MS-DOS classic, it’s also available on Mac OS and Windows nowadays.
A truly beloved fan-favourite, there are few point-and-click games that fit the title “cult hit” as well as this surreal and deeply personal narrative about April Ryan, who is easily one of the most memorable female protagonists in all of gaming. This was voted best computer adventure game of 2000 by a wide range of outlets for very good reason. It’s a complex story weaved amongst parallel universes filled with magic and danger.
The game is available on Windows and IOS, and also spawned the sequels Dreamfall: The Longest Journey, as well as Dreamfall Chapters. However, even if you’re not fond of the different directions in the later games, this 40+ hour magnum opus is sure to give you your fill of dimension-hopping adventures, brain-busting puzzles, and a sprawling cast of characters that makes it feel like one of the most lived-in worlds in the genre, despite the premise.
To many fans of adventure games, it is practically taboo to dare suggest Grim Fandango is anything short of a masterpiece. Though some aspects of its design are certainly dated since its 1998 release, it’s hard not to fall in love with this LucasArt classic. The first of Lucasarts adventure games to feature 3D graphics, Grim Fandango was written and directed by Tim Schafer, also known for Full Throttle, Psychonauts, Day of the Tentacle, and plenty more.
While not a commercial success by any means, this story about Manny Calvera, a grim reaper living in the Land of the Dead, is deeply humorous and charming all the way through, with an eclectic set of memorable characters to keep it going. Grim Fandango has since been remastered and released on Windows, PS4, Switch Vita, OS X, and Linux, so it’s exceedingly easy to dive back into this gem.
The sixth instalment in one of the most beloved point-and-click games in the genre of fantasy. This 1992 release is widely recognized as not only being a great introduction to the genre for newcomers who aren’t quite as familiar with the point-and-click logic of the puzzles in many of its contemporaries, but also for being the high point of the series.
King’s Quest VI, written by the highly lauded Roberta Williams, is rather basic in terms of gameplay, with all the classic pointing, clicking, walking and puzzle-solving as ever. However, it’s well-loved for a rather fantastic romp through Arabian oases, Wonderland-inspired islands, and other areas that pay homage to literary classics in the fairytale and fantasy genres. It’s also remarkably replayable for a point-and-click game, largely thanks to the multiple endings that it offers depending on choices you make in the game.
One of the more recent additions to this list, if you haven’t heard of this Dontnod Entertainment gem, originally released throughout 2015, you are missing out. Like the Walking Dead, it’s another game that was released in episodes, but now it’s very easy to pick up the whole bundle on Windows, PS4, PS4, Xbox One, iOS or Android.
Life is Strange is another game that deals heavily with the butterfly effect, but it also adds the mechanic of reversing time, and is built around the theme of “what would you do if you could reverse time, and is it a good idea?” A deeply intertwined story dealing with not just the deadly mystery and seemingly supernatural threat facing the cast of characters, but a whole range of messy teenage emotions that keep it all to the ground and real. Shoutouts to the great visual design, too.
There are few sci-fi classic novels that are held quite in the same regard as Frank Herbert’s Dune, which itself has been the subject of a whole host of adaptations, including more than one failed movie. However, perhaps the best adventure of all that covers the adventures of Paul Atreides in a truly unsettling alien setting is the 1992 adventure game developed by the team at Cryo and published by Virgin Games.
The game is based not only on the book but the David Lynch movie also based on the book. Despite that, however, it remains much more faithful to the source material. Special shoutouts should also go to the soundtrack of the game, composed largely by Stephane Picq, who contributes a very outlandish sound that you might also recognize if you’re a fan of Lost Eden. If you’re a fan of Dune and want to see a great adaptation, then this MS-DOS and Amiga gem is your best opportunity.
The first in a sprawling series of graphic adventure puzzle video games, originally developed by Cyan Inc. in 1993, Myst is very much a love it or hate it kind of game. Some people simply do not jive with the fact that there’s no conflict, no threat, and zero backstories to introduce you to the game. However, when the game clicks with you, it clicks. The graphics at the time, while static, were fantastic. Furthermore, if you want a challenging puzzle game that sees you exploring a weird and wonderful environment full of mystery, then this is the game for you.
Myst involves interacting with the whole world around you and seeing it change based on your actions in a way few games have mastered since. It’s now available as Myst Masterpiece Edition on Steam, as well, so it’s not as difficult to hunt down as some of the other classics on this list.
If you’re a fan of the more minimalist take on narratives, where the story is driven largely by what you see and what puzzles you complete, then Machinarium is definitely worth your time. Designed by Jakub Dvorsky, the genius behind Samorost and Botanicula, this game puts you in the metal shoes of a robot who has been thrown into the scrapyard on a quest to reunite with and save his robot-girl friend from the shadowy Black Cap Brotherhood.
The game features a truly gorgeous and detailed environment with an utterly unique art style. Visuals are what carry this game, predominantly, as there’s no dialogue to speak of at all. However, the thought bubble system does give some insight into the motivations and emotions of the game, not to mention a unique way to approach puzzle solving.
Of course, we couldn’t mention the original without also giving due respect to the game that kicked off the series. Originally developed in 1990, this classic is the result of collaboration between Ron Gilbert, Tim Schafer, and Dave Grossman, all names that you should be familiar with by now if you’ve read through this list.
A swashbuckling adventure full of mystery, spooky ghosts, and humour, it’s best-loved and remembered for its characters, not to mention the truly great insult sword-fighting mechanic. The Secret of Monkey Island is now available as a Special edition on Steam, as well, which is a faithful reimagining of the original classic. If you’re looking to get started on the adventures of Guybrush Threepwood, then that’s the perfect place to start and is still as wickedly funny as ever.
The first person adventure exploration game that popularized the term “walking simulator,” Gone Home was actually a pretty controversial release at the time, given how little interactivity it seemed to offer. However, this 2013 release by the Fullbright Company has weathered all of that criticism to become one of the most highly lauded games of the year thanks to an emotionally grounded and enthralling story told entirely through how the player interacts with the environment around them.
This game touches on a range of themes that will be relatable to many, including family relationships and LGBT issues that ring true to this day. It’s a lot more than a game about walking through a house and finding clues as to where your family is. Now, it's available to pick up on Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and iOS and is well worth your time.
If you’re looking for something a little more haunting, then there are few first-person adventure games that capture a sense of horror quite as effectively as The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Unlike many other first-person adventures, this 2014 release by The Astronauts involves a very large open-world environment, where you can explore at will with very little hand-holding from the game itself. As such, the player is motivated to get stuck in and start building the solution to the mystery of the Carter family’s deaths by themselves.
It’s also pretty striking for the 1970’s setting, not to mention a host of excellent performances in terms of voice acting. The puzzles are perhaps the only real let-down of the game, but it’s carried by the atmosphere, plot, and multiple endings that will keep you puzzling over this one for hours on end.
Now, this one isn't going to be as well known as many of the others, but it’s still most certainly worth the look. The first in a trilogy of point and click games, the Legend of Kyrandia is a 1992 release that has since been emulated and brought over by GOG.com.
The game is best known for a pretty deep system that involves mastering magic, giving you a relatively limited set of tools that are used in very creative ways to solve puzzles in the environment.
Lastly, we have the cult classic interactive movie puzzle game that was one of the very first games to be released exclusively on CD-Rom. In fact, it’s largely thanked for boosting the sales of that format, leading to the vast majority of games being released on it for a long time.
The 7th Guest is now most recognized for bringing a rather adult-oriented approach to horror, as well as the combination of pre-rendered 3D background graphics and live-action video clips. This classic trendsetter hasn’t gone forgotten, either, as a 2thth Anniversary Edition was released in 2019, remastering a few elements of the game for modern audiences but largely staying faithful to the original.
There you have it, 25 adventure games that should keep you engrossed for hours to come. Give them a spin, see how you feel, and keep coming back to We The Players for more deep dives on genres, games, and developers you should get to know.
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